Fransician Brother?

[The_Catholic]

I’m just curious, what is required to become a Fransician Brother?

 

[bpbasilphx]

Have you tried asking the vocation director of various Franciscan groups or visting their web sites?

 

[Marauder]

If you feel called to become a Franciscan Brother you must determine which group you feel called to, there are several different Franciscan organizations all of which follow Franciscan ideals. Some can be more “orthodox” then others.

Here are links to a few Franciscan group’s vocations page.

They are the Commissariat of the Holy Land. They are responsable for the Franciscan Monastery in DC and for many of the Shrines in the Holy Land.
myfranciscan.org/655

Another group I am familar with are the Companions of St. Anthony. They are a group of Convential Franciscan Friars.

Their web page is:
companionsofstanthony.org/

If you view EWTN then you will be familar with the Franciscans Friars of the renewel. Their vocations page is:
franciscanfriars.com/vocations/index2.htm

The best bet is to figure out which group you are interested in, contact them and visit them.

 

[The_Catholic]

If you feel called to become a Franciscan Brother you must determine which group you feel called to, there are several different Franciscan organizations all of which follow Franciscan ideals. Some can be more “orthodox” then others.

Here are links to a few Franciscan group’s vocations page.

They are the Commissariat of the Holy Land. They are responsable for the Franciscan Monastery in DC and for many of the Shrines in the Holy Land.
myfranciscan.org/655

Another group I am familar with are the Companions of St. Anthony. They are a group of Convential Franciscan Friars.

Their web page is:
companionsofstanthony.org/

If you view EWTN then you will be familar with the Franciscans Friars of the renewel. Their vocations page is:
franciscanfriars.com/vocations/index2.htm

The best bet is to figure out which group you are interested in, contact them and visit them.

Thank you. No I don’t feel called, I’m married. I was only curious.

Also, so I’m understanding this correctly, which is the CLOSEST brotherhood to St. Francis of Assisi?

 

[Marauder]

Thank you. No I don’t feel called, I’m married. I was only curious.

Also, so I’m understanding this correctly, which is the CLOSEST brotherhood to St. Francis of Assisi?

If you are married and feel called to follow Franciscan ideals you can look into the Secular Franciscan Order.

As for which is the closest to St. Francis. That would depend on what you mean. The original Orders founded by St. Francis was called the Order of Friars Minor, the sisterhood of Poor Clares (not their original name but I forget the name before St. Clare died), and the Brothers and Sisters of Penance (which became Third Order Regular and Secular Franciscans) They all still exist in some format. Like any man-made organization changes have occured from the founding
in order to develop with the times. There have been offshoots that claim to be similar to the founding but in their zeal to be similar can be more liberal then others. There is a group call Primitive Franciscans that are trying to live exactly as St. Francis did. Groups like that have tried over the years to survive but usually can’t because St. Francis’ original ideal was that members of his 1st Order could own NOTHING except for a robe, and their sandels. They couldn’t even own the buildings they lived in. There were also rules about how they got their food, etc. that are extremely hard to do in today’s society. Whether an Order can support itself on those rules alone during these times remains to be seen.

All the true Franciscan Orders support each other. Secular Franciscans and Poor Clares usually have OFM or Conventional Franciscans as their Spiritual Assistants/Directors. Franciscans view it as different ways to follow the same path and that all the branches support each other and help each other to grow.

 

[The_Catholic]

If you are married and feel called to follow Franciscan ideals you can look into the Secular Franciscan Order.

As for which is the closest to St. Francis. That would depend on what you mean. The original Orders founded by St. Francis was called the Order of Friars Minor, the sisterhood of Poor Clares (not their original name but I forget the name before St. Clare died), and the Brothers and Sisters of Penance (which became Third Order Regular and Secular Franciscans) They all still exist in some format. Like any man-made organization changes have occured from the founding
in order to develop with the times. There have been offshoots that claim to be similar to the founding but in their zeal to be similar can be more liberal then others. There is a group call Primitive Franciscans that are trying to live exactly as St. Francis did. Groups like that have tried over the years to survive but usually can’t because St. Francis’ original ideal was that members of his 1st Order could own NOTHING except for a robe, and their sandels. They couldn’t even own the buildings they lived in. There were also rules about how they got their food, etc. that are extremely hard to do in today’s society. Whether an Order can support itself on those rules alone during these times remains to be seen.

All the true Franciscan Orders support each other. Secular Franciscans and Poor Clares usually have OFM or Conventional Franciscans as their Spiritual Assistants/Directors. Franciscans view it as different ways to follow the same path and that all the branches support each other and help each other to grow.

I CAN?? If I am married I can STILL look into a secular Franciscan order??? runs off to search the web

 

[Marauder]

I CAN?? If I am married I can STILL look into a secular Franciscan order??? runs off to search the web

Yes the Secular Franciscan Order is open to both married and single people. It is also one of the few orders that allows diocesian priests/bishops to join.

Just remember this isn’t like joining a club like joining the Knights, Scouts or some other social group. It is a way of life.

In general if I remember right to join:
a) You have to be at least 18
b) a Catholic in good standing
c) discern a true calling to join

If you haven’t found information yet. The main site for the US is:
nafra-sfo.org/

This page will tell you where a local fraternity near you meets and a contact point for information:
nafra-sfo.org/regions.html

Here is a link from a SFO fraternity on discerning whether you have a vocation to SFO:
franciscan-sfo.org/fw/come&see.htm

If you feel called you need to contact your local fraternity and can attend a few meetings. If after attending 3 meetings you feel it is still for you then you can enter an Inquiry class when one is available.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I am personally in the Inquiry period for joining SFO right now.